PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Position Boosted by Nvest Financial LLC

Nvest Financial LLC raised its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 7.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,243 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,378 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo comprises 2.2% of Nvest Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Nvest Financial LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ramkumar Krishnan sold 5,620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $1,000,360.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,603,634. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP stock opened at $163.58 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.52. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.83 and a 12-month high of $192.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $173.10 and a 200-day moving average of $170.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.08 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.00% and a return on equity of 57.37%. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This is a positive change from PepsiCo’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on PEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $181.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley upgraded PepsiCo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. BNP Paribas began coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on PepsiCo from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.38.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc engages in the manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of various beverages and convenient foods worldwide. The company operates through seven segments: Frito-Lay North America; Quaker Foods North America; PepsiCo Beverages North America; Latin America; Europe; Africa, Middle East and South Asia; and Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and China Region.